Saturday, August 17, 2013

Manners - Do They Still Exist...

I will probably have multiple posts as I have so many thoughts running through my mind today.  However, this particular subject came to my mind last night during dinner.

Since it was Friday night, a co-worker/friend wanted to go to Red, Hot, and Blue for dinner.  When we got there, we were seated and the waitress took our drink orders.  As my friend began discussing her son's new job, she noticed a man in a wheelchair coming into the restaurant.  Now, she probably would not had much thought on the subject matter, but in this case, the situation was rather odd.  The woman he was with was sitting in his lap while he wheeled himself around to the table.  He was basically doing a "wheelie" as he rolled past our table.  I thought - "Okay - whatever floats your boat."

Once the couple got seated into their booth, he was all over her.  My unfortunate problem - the couple was right in my view.  I would try to look away, but they were RIGHT THERE!  I felt like I should be in the seedy part of town watching some lurid floor show. 

When the manager talked to them about the behavior, the man started to get pretty belligerent.  The manager never raised his voice, but the man started getting louder and louder.  Finally, the couple left the restaurant with the man screaming that he was going to report the manager to the head office.

As I was taking my friend back to her house, she started talking about "manners."  In my opinion, society has lost a certain amount of "manners."  I am not sure why other than simple laziness or cultural changes.  However, simple public displays of affection, like holding hands, peck on the cheek, or even a small kiss on the lips is acceptable.  Full on groping?  Take that back to the hotel room next door, won't you? 

The incident made having dinner last night VERY uncomfortable.  I realize that this couple probably did not care.  Moreover, the act of being watched or causing a stir could have been exactly what they wanted to achieve.  Still, in the realm of manners, the couple had no consideration for others. 

Of course, I have my issues with manners.  I try to make sure I say and do the right things.  From time to time, I tend to stick my foot in my mouth or completely lose what manners my mother attempted to instill in me.

My friend from dinner has her own issues as well.  I am not sure what to really say to her without offending her.  On the other hand, some thought has gone into reducing the amount of time I spend with her.  She is nice, but some of the things that she has done/said tends to irritate me.  For example, Tuesday night, we tried Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant.  I overate a bit, but I really wanted to try the soft pretzels, some wings, and burger.  So, I got an appetizer with a few pretzels and 6 wings.  I had a burger for dinner. 

When the waiter came to give us our bill, he was about to give us the after dinner treat - Strawberry Twizzlers.  I thought this was cool.  Before the waiter could put the Twizzlers down on the table, my friend, immediately with a stern voice, "You can take those.  We do not need them as we are both diabetics."

The Friday night before this, we visited Half Shells for dinner.  I had the mahi-mahi dish with green beans and Parmesan potatoes.  While I was eating my dinner, my friend reached over with her fork and started eating my potatoes.  Also, we had the chocolate cake for dessert.

I have some major issues with that.  If you do not want the Twizzler, just leave it on the table and do not say anything.  Considering that the Twizzlers are individually wrapped, the waiter could have picked them back up for another time.  Also, my being a diabetic is my personal issue/struggle.  It is not others responsibility to make sure I eat right.  That information should not be offered as an excuse for anything.  It is totally different when I ask about substitutions - that is my way of choosing how/what I eat.

It is one thing to sample each other's food, but it is quite different if you keep digging into the other person's plate.  I just wanted to be clear on that because if someone offers you to try something, that is different.  In last Friday's scenario, I never offered the potatoes.  Might have been rude of me, but then again, she never offered anything off of her plate for me to try.  Honestly, there was nothing on her plate I wanted to try. 

As I said, I am not without sin.  I know my manners are in the toilet.  I never seem to get the "Thank You" notes out as I should or offer to do something in return for someone else.  I figure this may be a good time for me to pick up a book on manners and try a bit harder.  The simple act of trying might be a positive thing for someone else.

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